What tenses exist in French? Tenses and their use Use of tenses in French

Good afternoon friends! Today, together with my French teacher, Ekaterina, I will tell you about Times in French.

The French are very similar in mentality to the Russian people, but their language is radically different from ours. The mere fact that different sources are still arguing about the number of tenses in French speaks of the versatility and unusualness of this language.

Sometimes you can hear that the French use as many as twenty-five tenses. But don’t be afraid, this is completely untrue, and if you count in this way, then you can find a couple of dozen tenses in Russian. tenses in French really? Let's count together.

It was, is and will be

By and large, we can distinguish three main tenses: present, past and future. Just like in our speech, isn't it? But think about it, we not only use the ordinary past, but also divide it into the perfect and imperfect.
In French it is very similar: in each time period there are divisions that indicate whether the action has ended at a certain moment. Thus, there are two real ones:

1. present - ordinary present.
2. present progressif – present ongoing

(used extremely rarely, usually replaced by a simple one). To make a sentence we use the present tense, en train de and the infinitive. Therefore, there is no need to separately consider his education.

Six past:

1. Passé simple – past complete.
2. Imparfait – past incomplete.
3. Passé composé - complex past.
4. Plus-que-parfait is a complex past expressing a completed action (never used in oral speech).
5. Passé antérieur - a completed past preceding another past
6. Passé immediat – the nearest past. We get it using venir in the present de and the infinitive, so it is not included in the tense tables.

and three future ones:

1. Futur simple - simple future.
2. Futur antérieur – composite future.
3. Futur immédiat (futur proche) – the near future, is formed with the help of aller in the present and the infinitive, therefore it is not included separately in the tables.

As the names indicate, each temporal direction (Les temps des verbes) has one simple temporary form and one or more compound ones. They also add the past participle, making a total of nine main tenses.
Yes, theoretically, this figure can be increased if we add the imperative and subjunctive mood and personal forms, for example, the gerund. But in Russian and English we do not confuse the concepts of temporary conjugations of action words and their other changes. Therefore, you shouldn’t do this here either.

Although the French call these conjugations complex tenses, they can also be simple and consisting of two words.
We must pay attention to the fact that for the French it matters whether the action was completed at a certain point in time and whether it is possible now or earlier to take advantage of the results. Based on this, remembering the rules for using tenses is very simple.

And one more point that will make it easier to understand the types of tense forms: in simple Les temps the main verb changes, and in compound ones the auxiliary verb changes, which shows that the action is over. There are not many grammar aides; they are simply taught by heart and the seven tenses are memorized at once.
The easiest way to understand the principle of conjugations is to study the table:

In it you can see the participle (top right) and eight simple tense forms of the verb - to have, which is just one of the auxiliaries. Below are two more inclinations.
I hope I helped you understand the types of conjugations in French. Exercises and training will help you correctly change words in accordance with the meaning of your statement.

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There are 8 tenses in French. Let's look at them in order from most used to least important.

Le prèsent et le futur de l’indicatif. Present and future indicative tenses.

Prèsent and futur are the two main simple tenses of conversational speech; présent is used to talk about events that are happening at the time of speech, and futur is used to talk about events that will happen later.

Je mange des crevettes et je les aime. I eat shrimp and I love them. Je mangerai demain au restaurant. Tomorrow I will eat in a restaurant.

When is présent de l'indicatif used?

- to express an action that occurs when it is spoken or written about:

Le froid sèvit du nord au sud dela France.The cold is raging throughout France

Tu me fais de la peine. You make Me Feel sad.

- to express a repeated action

Le bureau ferme à dix-sept heures. The office closes at 17:00.

To denote long-term situations or actions.

Il deviant dur d'oreille. He hears worse and worse.

- To express concepts that are timeless.

Un home averti en vaut deux. For a beaten person they give two unbeaten ones.

When is futur used?

- To denote an action that will definitely happen in the future.

Le marriage aura lieu en juin. The wedding will take place in June.

Grace à cette glacière, vos boissons resteront fraîches. The refrigerator keeps your drinks cool.

- To express an order.

Tu m'attendras à la porte. You will wait for me at the entrance.

- To express an assumption.

Qui a renversé les pots de fleurs? Ce sera sans doute le vent. Who knocked over the flower pots? It's probably the wind.

L'imparfait et le passé simple de l'indicatif. Past incomplete and completed indicative tenses.

The past incomplete tense expresses the duration and incompleteness of an action in the past.

When is imparfait used?

- To indicate an unfinished action in the past:

Elle craignait les araignées. She was afraid of spiders.

- In stories:

Alorrs, quand le vin remplissait les verres, les têtes s’échauffaient et commencaient les récits de chasses extraordinaires. And so, when glasses were filled and minds were ignited, stories began about extraordinary incidents during the hunt.

- To denote a common, repeated action in the past:

Le dimanche, ils allaient à la pêche. On Sundays they went fishing.

Il lisait son journal dans le train, sur le trajet du retour. He was reading his newspaper on the train on the way back.

— To denote an action simultaneous with another action in the past:

Je pensais justement à eux quand ils sont arrivés. I was just thinking about them when they arrived.

Elle mettait la clé dans la serrure au moment oû l’orage éclatait. She was inserting the key into the lock when a thunderstorm broke out.

- To denote an action that almost happened:

Un peu plus, tu manquais ton train! A little more and you would have missed the train!

On allait connaître le nom de l'assassin quand l'image vacilla, puis l'écran devint noir. When the killer's name was almost known, the screen flashed and the image disappeared.

When is passé simple used?

Passe simple is a tense characteristic of written speech:

Denotes an action completed at a certain point in the past:

Nous arrivàmes au sommet un peu avant huit heures. We reached the top about eight o'clock;

— Describes an event in a historical or literary text:

On sonna le tocsin, la foule assiégea la maison du gouverneur. The alarm sounded and the crowd rushed to the governor's house.

Imparfait and passé simple are times for storytelling. In novels, the passé simple is most often used: it is with the help of this tense that events occurring are described. L'imparfait is given a secondary place: it is used to describe the circumstances against which the action takes place.

Le passé composé et le plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif. Past compound and long past indicative tenses.

The past compound tense is used to express actions or events that are central to the statement. The long past tense is used to indicate an action or state that preceded another action or state in the past.

When is passé composé used?

- To denote an action completed at the time of speech.

Le gouvernement a remboursé l’emprunt obligatoire. The government repaid the loan.

- To talk about past events.

Devine qui j'ai rencontré! Guess who I met!

When is plus-que-parfait used?

Plus-que-parfait denotes an action preceding another past, expressed in passé simple, passé composé or imparfait.

Elle revint s’installer dans la ville oû elle avait passé son enfance. She returned to stay in the city where she spent her childhood.

Il a été Premier minister mais il avait été minister des finances auparavant. He became prime minister, although before that he was finance minister.

C'était un détail qui avait retenu mon attention. This was the detail that caught my attention.

Le passé antérieur et le futur antérior de l'indicatif. Anterior past and anterior future indicative mood.

When is futur antérieur used?

Futur antérieur is used in speech and writing to denote an action that will take place in the future at a specified time: Tu auras changé d’avis avant demain. Before tomorrow you will change your mind;

Or to denote a future action preceding another future action: Quand tu viendras nous voir, la neige aura fondu. By the time you visit us, the snow will have already melted.

When is passé antérieur used?

— Passé antérieur, like passé simple, is most often used in writing.

- In an independent clause, it expresses a completed action relating to the past.

Ils eurent installé les tribunes pour le jour de la fête. They equipped stands for the holiday.

— In a complex sentence, the passé antérieur expresses an action that precedes another past action expressed by the passé simple.

Lorsque j'eus achevé ce voyage, j'entrepris de rédiger mes mémoires. Having completed this journey, I sat down to write my memoirs.

When starting to talk about the tenses of the French verb, it is necessary to mention that in the French language there are 4 moods (4 Modes):

Indicative

Imperative

Conditionnel

Subjunctif

Each of these moods, with the exception of the Imperative, has a certain number of tenses in which the verb is used. So the Indicative mood has 4 simple tenses (le présent, l'imparfait, le passé simple, le futur simple) and 4 complex tenses (le passé composé, le plus-que-parfait, le passé antérieur, futur antériuer), Conditional - 2 tense (le présent, le passé), Subjunctive - 2 simple tenses (le présent, l'imparfait) and 2 complex tenses (le passé, le plus-que-parfait). Before going into detail about each of these tenses, consider first what simple and complex tenses mean.

A simple tense is a tense that is formed without the help of an auxiliary verb (être, avoir). Eg. Il apprend le français. Accordingly, the complex tense is formed using these verbs. Eg. Elle est party.

So let's start with the Indicative mood.

Education. Formed by conjugating verbs.

Use:

An action that occurs at the moment of speech. Que fais-tu? J'écris une lettre.

A timeless action that occurs regardless of any time, a general event inherent in all times. This is the so-called Absolute Present (le présent absolu). La Lune est un satellite de la Terre.

It can be used to mean the future only in cases where this future action will definitely happen or has been decided. Je ne pourrai pas vous voir demain, je pars en mission

Can be used to describe an action that has already happened at the time of speech. This really only applies to some verbs, such as apporter, arriver, venir, revenir, sortir, amener, ramener, etc., which are used in similar situations. In Russian, as a rule, it is translated into the past tense. Je viens vous demander un conseil.

In literary speech it can be used instead of passé simple to enliven speech and create the appearance of the present. This is the so-called Present Narrative. Soudain mon compagnon me saisit le bras et m'immobilise.

Formation: Formed by adding the endings –ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the infinitive of the verb.

Note: verbs ending in –re lose the last e: j’écrir-ai.

Note: some verbs do not form le futur simple according to the rules. These are verbs such as avoir, être, aller, venir, faire, savoir, etc.

Use:

Expresses future action. Je ne vous le pardonnerai pas

Can replace (usually in the 2nd person singular and plural) the imperative mood, expressing a request or order. Après le déjeuner, tu iras chez Paul et tu lui diras de venir me voir. Compare with Russian phrases: you will go... and you will say...

Notes:

a) After the conditional conjunction si, le présent de l’indicatif is used instead of futur simple:

Si elle refuse je refuserai aussi.

b) There is also the tense Futur dans le passé, which is formed in the same way as Conditionnel présent (see this section). It replaces futur simple in indirect speech. Je leur demandé: “Quand vous pourrez revenir à cette question?” - Je leur demandé quand ils pourraient revenir à cette question.

Futur Immédiat.

Formation: Formed using the auxiliary verb aller in the present tense and the infinitive of the main verb. Je vais vous le apporter.

Use:

Expresses an action that should occur immediately after a speech point, i.e. closest in the future. It is being translated into Russian along with the adverb now. Attents un peu, je vais te remplacer. Wait a little, I'll relieve you now.

If any adverb of time is present, or an expression replacing this adverb, then it is translated into Russian to mean intend, gather. Quand allez-vous discuter cette question? When are you going to discuss this issue?

Futur immediat dans le passé.

Formation: Formed using the auxiliary verb aller in l’imparfait and the infinitive of the main verb. Je allais me coucher.

Usage: Used to denote an action following some moment in the past

Expresses action in the past, just like Futur Immédiat in the present tense. It is translated into Russian in exactly the same way as the last one. Il m'a dit qu'il allait renter. He told me that he would be back now.

Often expresses an action or intention in the past that was about to happen but was interrupted by another action that occurred. It is used in this case according to the rules for coordinating tenses and is translated into Russian along with the words: it was already, to gather, to intend. J'allais sortir quand on m'a appelé au telephone. I was about to leave when they called me to the phone.

It also expresses an action that was supposed to happen in the near future. It is translated into Russian together with the word must and just about. Le train allait partir et mes amis n’étaient toujours pas là. The train was about to leave, but my friends were still missing.

Futur antérieur.

Formation: Formed using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the futur simple and the past participle (participe passé) of the main verb. Vous aurez fixé la date de votre départ.

Usage: Expresses an action preceding some moment in the future, the action of which will already be completed by this future moment.

Expresses an action preceding some moment in the future. In this case, it is used according to the rules of tense agreement together with the words après que, dés que, aussitôt que, quand, lorsque. Teléphonez-moi, je vous en prie, dés que vous serez arrivé

Expresses an action in the future that will have already been completed at a certain point in the future, i.e. result. In this case, it is usually accompanied by adverbs of time, or phrases that replace them. Demain, à cette heure je serai parti.

Note: Futur antérieur can also have a modal meaning. It is then used instead of passé composé and expresses an action considered as possible. Je ne trouve pas mon cachier, je l’aurai perdu. (= je l'ai probablement perdu). I can't find my notebook, I probably (obviously) lost it.

Futur antérieur dans le passé.

It is formed in the same way as conditionnel passé (see the corresponding section).

Used instead of futur antériuer in indirect speech. Il m’a dit: “Je te téléphonerai dés que j’aurai reçu leur réponse.” - Il m’a dit qu’il me téléphonerait dés qu’il aurait reçu leur réponse.

Passé composition.

Formation: Formed using the auxiliary verbs avoir and être in the present tense and the past participle of the main verb:

J'ai parlé j'ai eu

Je suis allé j'ai été

a) Conjugate with the verb avoir:

All transitive verbs (in active form)

J'ai écrit, j'ai lu

Some intransitive verbs:

J'ai dormi, j'ai marché

b) Conjugate with the verb être:

All reflexive verbs:

Je me suis couché

All transitive verbs are in the passive form:

J'ai été prévenu, j'ai été trompé

Some intransitive verbs: aller, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, mourir, tomber, etc.

Usage: Expresses the past completed tense. This is the so-called passé antérieur au présent.

Je n'ai pas lu ce roman. Dimanche il a plu tout la journée.

Formation: Verbs in the passé simple have three types of endings according to the vowel that is part of these endings: endings in a, i and u.

a) Verbs of group I have the ending a - il parla, respectively, in the 1st person singular - je parlai and in the 3rd person plural - ils parlérent.

b) Verbs of group II have the ending i: il finit

c) Verbs of group III have i or u at the end: il répondit, il courut. Some verbs have only this letter as an ending and as the whole word: il lut, il vit.

Use:

Passé simple has nothing to do with the present tense, which is why it is used mainly in writing. In colloquial speech it is usually replaced by passé composé.

Expresses a past perfect action or a series of such actions following one after another. Il ouvrit la porte et entra. La chambre était vide.

It also expresses a past action limited to a certain period or time. The time in such nonsense is always clearly indicated. Pendant trois jours le prisonner garda le silence.

Note: With non-finite verbs, the passé simple can be used to express the beginning of an action: elle chanta - she began to sing. In such cases, it is translated into Russian by verbs with prefixes for-, po-, or the words became + the indefinite form of the verb. Brusquement, dans l "obscurité, Gottfried chanta. Suddenly, in the darkness, Gottfried began to sing.

Formation: Formed by adding in to the verb in the 1st person plural instead of ending –ons endings –ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Je parlais je lisais j'avais

Je finissais je prenais j'étais

Use:

Denotes an action in the past that was not completed and which continued at a certain point in the past in question. Il jetait du bois dans le poêle et préparait son café.

Denotes an action that has been repeated in the past and which has become habitual/ordinary. Une fois par semaine Paul allait à la piscine.

Used in descriptions (of nature, portraits, characters, situations). Il avait les yeux noir, les cheveux clairs, un peu frisés. Il parlait sans hausser la voix.

Comment:

Imparfait can also express the simultaneity of 2 or more actions in the past. There are 2 cases:

a) Two or more actions occur at an unspecified moment simultaneously. A mesure que le jour du départ approchait, il devenait plus triste. “As the day of departure approached, he became sadder.

b) An action that was happening when another action happened, i.e. preceding this other action. In such cases, the latter is expressed using Passé composé or Passé simple. Quand Christophe entra, Minna jouait des gammes. - When Christophe entered Minna played the lagams.

Imparfaite can also be used in an independent simple clause to express a suggestion, request or advice. In such cases it is used with the particle si: Si vous ouvriez un peu la port? - Should I open the door for you? or What if you open the door?

Traditionally, the tenses of French verbs represent a complex structure that includes distribution into three main categories (future, present and past tense) and provides for distribution into simple and complex structures depending on the method of formation used. All four types of French mood have their own set of tense forms (Indicatif - express., Impératif - command, Conditionnel - conditional and Subjonctif - subjunctive). Let's look at the tenses of French verbs in more detail.

So, indicative(action as a fact) involves the use of twelve tense forms of the present, future and, of course, past tense, five of which are simple, the remaining seven are complex. Simple tense forms of the indicative mood include, first of all, such dominants as:

1. Pré sent- is formed by adding a system of inflections (for example, for the first person singular - -e (chapter 1 group), -is (chapter 2 groups); -s/-x + alternating stems (chapter 3 groups) for 1st person plural - -ons (for all verb groups)) to verb stems (without endings) indefinite. forms and is used to display ordinary, regular actions, or actions occurring in the present time period. —

Vous allez souvent au théâtre. — You often go to the theater.

2. Passésimple — is formed by adding a system of inflections (for example, for the second person singular and plural - -as; -ites (chapter 1 of group), -is; -tes (chapter 2 of group); -is (-us) ; -ites + alternating stems (chapter 3 of group) and is used to denote completed actions in the past, without being used in colloquial speech. The scope of use of Passé simple is a coherent literary text in which verbs in this tense form are used. mainly in the singular or third person plural -

Chlodwig devint le premier roi de la dynastie de Mérovingiens l'année 486. - Clovis became the first king of the Merovingian dynasty in 486.

3. Imparfait — is formed by adding a system of inflections (- ais, - ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.) and is used to denote past actions of an unfinished type, repeated past actions, as well as descriptions and polite requests. —

Il lisait beaucoup l'année dernière. — He read a lot last year. (unfinished action in the past).

4. Future simple— is formed by adding a system of inflections (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. (explain what inflections are added to) - verb units of the 3rd group have their own characteristics) and is used to indicate future actions . —

Il reviendra pas de sitôt. - He won't be back soon

5. Futuredanslepassé — is formed by adding a system of inflections (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the verb units of the indefinite. forms and is used to display future actions in relation to the past tense, mainly used within the framework of subordinate clauses of an additional type. —

Elle a dit qu'elle vous aiderait.

— She said she would help you.

1. Complex indicative tense forms, in turn, include:sentPre- is formed analytically - through a combination of the auxiliary unit être (in the form of the present tense), the stable element en train de, as well as the main verb in its indefinite. form - and is aimed at designating actions performed directly at the moment (now). This tense form is used very rarely in the language, usually replaced by the Présent form. —

Ils sont en train de déjeuner en ville. - (They are (now) dining out) = Ils déjeunent en ville

2. Passécomposition- is formed analytically - through a combination of the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form of the present tense) and the main or base verb (in the form of Part. pas. - past participle) - and indicates the completion of actions or emphasizes their effectiveness. —

Avez-vous déjà regard é cette pièce? —Have you already watched this play?

3. Plus-que-parfait- is formed analytically - through a combination of the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form imparfait) and the base verb (in Participe passé) - and contains an indication of the precedence of one past action to another. Often used in subordinate clauses, as well as to introduce additional shades of regret or politeness into phrases. —

Si seulement j’ é tais venu à temps! - If only I had come on time! (regret)

Si vous m'aviez laiss é en paix, je ne ferais mal. (If you had left me alone, I would not have acted badly).

4. Passéimmédiat- is formed analytically - by a combination of the verb unit venir (in the form of the present tense), the preposition de and the infinitive of the main verb - and is used to denote recently or just committed actions (just about, etc.) -

Ils viennent de toucher vers la fin. - They just came to an end.

5. Passéanterieur- complex, analytical tense, based on the combination of the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form passé simple) and the main verb (in the form Participe passé); used only after certain conjunctions (quand - when, dès que - as soon as, lorsque - when, etc.) to indicate the precedence of one completed action to another or to indicate the completeness and speed of past actions (en un moment (in a minute), bientôt (soon)). Is the prerogative of written literary texts. —

Bientôt j’ eus dé cidé de différer mon départ. — Soon I decided to postpone my departure (end of action)

Quand la conversation fut tombé sur cette question, il s’intéressa. — — When the conversation touched on this issue, he became interested. (combined with Passé simple in the main)

6. Futur immé diat- an analytical form formed on the basis of a combination of the verb unit aller (in the present tense form) and the infinitive of the main verb; used to record actions expected in the near future (soon). —

Nous allons quitter ses études. — We are going to leave school (soon).

7. Future anté rieur- a complex form formed on the basis of a combination of the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form of futur simple) and the main verb (in the form of the past tense); used to express the precedence of one future action to another; reflecting the completion of actions by a certain time (vite - quickly, Dans sept heures - in seven hours, etc.); expressions of the probabilistic nature of actions. —

Apportez-moi ce journal, dès qu’il aura sorti du sceau. — Bring me this newspaper as soon as it comes out of print. (precedence)

J'aurai fait un faux numéro. - I must have the wrong number. (assumption)

Imperative mood(transmission of expressions of will), in turn, is characterized by the possibility of using verbs in their two main tense forms:

1. (Impé ratif) present- is formed synthetically (inflectively) and has only three forms - the second person, both singular and plural (you and you) and only the first person plural (we); used when it is necessary to convey requests, orders, wishes and other expressions of will. —

Attendez -moi ici. - Wait for me here. (coincides with the form Indicatif Présent - (vous) attendez)

2. (Impé ratif) passé- an analytical form formed by combining the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form impératif présent) and the main verb (in the form Participe passé) and has only three forms (by analogy with ( (Impé ratif) present); used extremely rarely to express actions the implementation of which is necessary before another action or within a certain time period in the future. —

Aie décidé les problèmes, jusqu’à ce que il telephone. - Solve your problems before he calls.

A yez pris des notes avant son départ. — Record the lecture before he leaves.

It should be noted that pronominal verbs do not have this form of the imperative mood.

French verbs have two tense forms and conditional mood(transfer of possible actions). —

1. (Conditionnel) pré sent- a simple, synthetic form, structured by adding a system of inflections (imparfait endings - -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the infinitive stems of the base verb (for verbs of the third group they will coincide with Futur simple); used when conveying assumptions, requests (along with the imperative), doubts in the present or future, etc., as well as in subordinate clauses of the condition -

Je voudrais encore un peu de sel. — I would like a little more salt. (request)

Elle accé derait à notre proposition, peut-être. “Perhaps she would agree (or maybe not) to our proposal.” (doubt)

Si tu te calmeras, nous fixerions rendez-vous. - If you calm down, we would still arrange a meeting. (condition)

2. (conditionnel) passé - a complex analytical tense form formed by combining the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form Conditionnel présent) and the main verb (in the form Participe passé); used to display hypothetical, possible, alleged actions in the past, as well as in subordinate clauses (if they are related to the past). —

L'inondation aurait fait des dégâts. “The flood obviously caused damage.” (assumption)

Je ne serais pas parti hier ainsi tôt, si mon frère n’était allé en visite. “I wouldn’t have left so early yesterday if my brother hadn’t come to visit.” (unrealized past action)

And finally, in subjunctive mood(transfer of the speaker’s personal attitude to what is expressed) four main tense forms are used, two of which are considered simple:

1. (Subjonctif) pré sent- a simple form constructed by adding a system of inflections (-e, -es, -e, -ent) to the third person plural stems of the present tense of the base verb (in relation to the forms of the first and second person singular and the third person both singular and plural number) and endings -ions, -iez to the bases of the first person plural of the present tense of the base verb (in relation to the first and second person plural forms), while the obligatory use of que before the subject is observed. Used to express the succession or simultaneity of actions related to the present (less often the future). —

Mes parents sont contents que je vienne à la maison. — My parents are glad that I come home.

2. Imparfait (du subjonctif)- synthetic formation by adding a system of inflections (-se, -ses, -t, -sions, -siez, -sent.) to the second person singular stems of basic verbs in the passé simple (+ alternation -s / -t, in the third face units). It is used primarily to display the succession or simultaneity of actions implemented in the past, when coordinating times. Rarely used, only in written sources. —

Mes parents étaient contents que je vinsse à la maison. — My parents were glad that I was coming home.

The remaining two tense forms of the subjunctive mood are complex:

1. (Subjonctif)passé - analytical formation using a combination of the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form of Subjonctif présent) and the main verb (in the form of the past participle); used in subordinate clauses to record the precedence of the speech moment (before the action, expressed by the verb in the main clause). —

Mes parents sont contents que je sois venu à la maison. — My parents are glad that I came home.

2. Plus-que-parfait (du subjonctif)- a complex form formed by combining the auxiliary unit avoir or être (in the form imparfait du subjon.) and the main verb (in the form of the past participle); used in the process of coordinating times to record precedence. Almost never used in real communication.

Mes parents étaient contents que je fusse venu à la maison. — My parents were glad that I came home.

Thus, we get the following branched structure, which is represented by the tenses of French verbs:

The table also shows the possibility of distinguishing by tenses and a number of impersonal verbal forms, such as participles and infinitives, however, this aspect is far from unambiguous and requires separate coverage.

Time and clocks surround us everywhere. After all, time is our life. We constantly ask or say, “What time is it? What time are you coming? I have to be at work at ten. I don't have any free time." We look at the clock every time we are in a hurry and are afraid of being late.

The French are subject to exactly the same problems! And today, as you may have guessed, our conversation will be about watches, time and everything connected with it. How to ask a question about time, how to answer such a question - we will talk about this and much more in our article.

Quelle heure est-il, s’il vous plaît?

Let's look at how you can answer the question about time in French:

Quelle heure est-il? - What time is it now?

• 8.00 - Il est huit heures (précises) (du matin / du soir). - 8 hours (exactly) (am/pm).
• 8.10 - Il est huit heures dix. - 8 hours 10 minutes.
• 8.15 - Il est huit heures quinze. = Il est huit heures et quart. - 8 hours fifteen minutes = 8 hours and a quarter.
• 8.30 - Il est huit heures trente. = Il est huit heures et demie. - 8 hours thirty minutes. = Half past nine.
• 8.45 - Il est huit heures quarante-cinq. = Il est neuf heures moins le quart (quinze). - 8 hours forty-five minutes. = Fifteen to nine.
• 8.55 - Il est neuf heures moins cinq. - Five minutes to nine.
• 12.00 - Il est midi. - Noon.
• 24.00 - Il est minuit. - Midnight.
• 3.00 - Il est trois heures du matin (de l’après-midi). - 3 a.m. (afternoon = afternoon).

Now friends, pay attention to the following questions about time and possible answers to them in French:

• Quelle heure est-il, s’il vous plaît? – Il est neuf heures et demie.– What time is it, please? - It's half past nine now.
• A quelle heure reviens-tu à la maison? – Je reviens à la maison à cinq heures du soir.- What time do you return home? – I return home at five o’clock in the evening.
• Peux-tu venir chez moi demain à neuf heures? - Non, je ne réussirai pas, je viendrai à dix heures moins le quart.-Can you come to me tomorrow at nine o'clock? - No, I won’t make it, I’ll arrive at fifteen minutes to ten.
• Vous êtes en retard de dix minutes. – Excusez-moi, je me suis réveillé à huit heures.- You are ten minutes late. - Sorry, I woke up at eight o'clock.
• A quelle heure dois-je t’attendre? - J'arrive à six heures.- What time should I expect you? - I'll come at six o'clock.
• A quelle heure arrive le train? – Le train arrive à sept heures et dix minutes.– What time does the train arrive? - The train arrives at seven o'clock ten minutes.
• Quelles sont tes heures de fonctionnement?– What are your working hours?

Please note: Une heure et demie - an hour and a half (one and a half hours) BUT! Un demi-heure – half an hour.

And a few more details...

Dear readers, we would like to draw your attention to some details that show the time in French. The fact is that the French designation of time is somewhat different from the Russian one. Remember the following rules:

• Question: “What time is it?” in French can be specified in several ways: “Quelle heure est – il?” and a more polite option “Vous avez l'heure s'il vous plaît?- Do you have a watch?
• In French, time does not have such a concept as “night”, that is, there is a division: morning (from one o’clock in the morning until noon), noon, afternoon (from one o’clock in the afternoon until six o’clock in the evening), evening (from six o’clock until midnight). Accordingly, after specifying the time, you can add expressions "du matin - morning", “de l’après – midi – day”, "du soir - evenings", but this is not a prerequisite.
• In French, before half (for example, before 10:30), minutes are added to the previous hour, and after half, minutes are subtracted from the next hour. Note: Il est deux heures vingt (14:20). Il est trois heures moins vingt (14:40).
• Word "minute(s)" is not used in French tense, but it is implied, so we say: « Il estcinq heures une" (17:01).
• Quarter in French "le quart", but it’s correct to say: "Il est dix heures et quart" (10:15), whereas "Il est onze heures moins le quart" (10:45) , that is, when a quarter is added, the expression will be used "et quart", and when it is taken away - "Moins le quart".

Now, dear readers, perhaps you are wondering how the different types of watches are written in French:

• La montre – wristwatch
• Le sablier – hourglass
• Les horloges murales – wall clocks
• La montre de poche – pocket watch
• Le cadran solaire – sundial
• Le coucou – cuckoo clock
• La comtoise – grandfather clock
• L’horloge de table – table clock
• Le cadran – dial
• Regler l'horloge/la montre, etc. - set the clock

Friends, at the beginning of learning French, beginners may have difficulty with how to correctly answer questions about time, but in fact, it is not at all difficult.

The main thing is to study the rules very carefully and say the time out loud in French, substituting different numbers. The question is to study everything well. Good luck to you!